The swinging gates found on fences are often difficult to properly construct. The gate must be mounted to fence stock such that the gate may swing freely. To aid in achieving this objective, it is desirable to ensure that the fence stocks to which the gate is attached are substantially parallel.
Current gate construction involves simply digging a hole and placing the fence stock within the hole. The stock may be buried within the hole by filling the cavity with a setting agent, such as dirt or wet cement. Upon drying, the fence stock is relatively stable. For information related to fence and gate construction, reference may be had to U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,713,561 to Sugiyama (Outdoor Structure Such as Gate Post Gate Wing or Fence and Method for Constructing This); 5,836,572 to Sugiyama (Method for Constructing an Outdoor Structure Such as a Gate Post, Gate Wing, or Fence); 5,272,838 to Gibbs (Gate Conversion Kit); 5,362,030 to Iler (Fence Post Module); 4,582,300 to Chappell (Fence Support Structure); 5,444,951 to Scott (Bracket for Supporting Fence Posts); 3,955,800 to Russo (Railing Structure); and the like. The content of each of the aforementioned patents is hereby incorporated by reference into this specification.
This technique is deficient in that the fence stock often shifts position as the cement hardens. When soil is used to fill the cavity, the loosely packed soil does not hold the stock in position and shifting likewise occurs. Reference may be had to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,045,003 to McCluskey (Support Devices for Stanchions); 4,752,060 to McCluskey (Support Devices for Stanchions); 3,946,569 to Stuber (Method and Means for Installing a Post); and the like. The content of each of the aforementioned patents is hereby incorporated by reference into this specification. It would be desirable to construct a device that will prevent such shifting and hold the fence stock in the desired position. Such a device ensures the fence stock remains substantially parallel both before and after setting. It is an object of this invention to provide such a device.